A new Sixth Form for Van Dyke Upper School

An Upper School in South Bedfordshire has received a large grant of £200,000 from the Connolly Foundation to help build a new sixth form block.

Van Dyke Upper School, in Leighton Buzzard, is going from strength to strength and now has more than 1,500 students.

The new building has a large teaching and studying space on the ground floor and a stairwell and lift to toilet facilities and a kitchen.

It is also available to the local community in the evenings and at weekends.

Headteacher Tim Carroll said: ‘We had outgrown as our sixth form student numbers have almost doubled in size in the last three years. We are very thankful for the support and generosity of Connolly to help provide this fantastic building.’

Student Alex Lunn, 16, said: ‘The building and the space it provides is very helpful and I really benefit from it. I use it every day

Fellow student Ashley Biers, 17, added: ‘It is nice to have such an accessible and pleasant place to go for study.’